School superintendents learn collaboration in state program

Daveen Rae Kurutz

Wednesday

May 9, 2018 at 5:00 PM

Four Beaver County superintendents were among 73 administrators who completed the state’s inaugural Superintendent’s Academy.

The program, launched two years ago by Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera, is part of the state’s Poverty and Student Achievement Initiative. The program focused on equity and addressing the needs of students in poverty.

That appealed to Superintendents Donna Nugent of the Big Beaver Falls Area School District; Joe Guarino, New Brighton Area School District; Jane Bovalino, Rochester Area School District; and Tammy Adams, South Side Area School District, who completed the program Tuesday.

“We were looking for more avenues for resources and opportunities and maybe even funding opportunities,” Nugent said. “But it branched out to be so much more. We came to find out that it’s not just about focusing on programs, but on a systematic change in school districts, communities and regions to enhance the educational opportunities for our students rather than relying on funded programs and state funding.”

The program was a partnership between the state Department of Education and the National Institute of School Leadership. An additional 60 district and charter school leaders are enrolled in the second cohort of the leadership program. Pennsylvania was the first state to introduce the program, according to the education department. Other states, including Kentucky and Mississippi have followed suit.

The superintendents said the program encouraged the districts to work together, rather than independently, to pool resources.

“The idea is, whether you have 700 students or 7,000 students, you still find opportunities for them,” Guarino said. “None of us may have what that district that has 7,000 students has, but together we can have that pool of resources that we can help them.”

That partnership isn’t limited to school districts, Bovalino said. In the past two years, Rochester has brought in the Builder’s Guild, Shell, STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs — other collaborations with school districts and community groups.

Students from all four districts attend the Community College of Beaver County’s high school academies, which allow students to attend CCBC part time to earn college credits in aviation science, health, STEM and criminal justice.

“We’re working hard to take the walls away so that our kids have opportunities,” Bovalino said. “Rochester is small — I only have 720 kids. We’re limited on resources. I want my kids to be able to take advantage of what these students in bigger school districts have.”

The program required superintendents to review the successes of high-performing districts both nationally and globally, Adams said. It was extremely valuable research and dialogue, she said.

“The time spent together validated that in our own school districts, the core focus is on teaching and learning,” she said. “We are doing great things for our students; however, we need to continue to place the focus on educating the whole child and preparing our students for a competitive global economy.”

Nugent said part of that is preparing local students for the jobs that will come once Shell Chemicals opens its ethane cracker plant in Potter Township. The $6 billion project has spurred other industrial and commercial projects in the region, which educators want to see filled by their students eventually.

“We want our students and communities to work together to be able to take advantage of those opportunities,” Nugent said. “To make sure that our students have first dibs on those jobs. It’s been a lot of hard work the past two years, but it’s been for good reason and quite beneficial.”

The partnerships that the program encouraged will have a lasting impact on the districts, school officials said. Helping one another succeed is a success for both sides, Bovalino said.

“We’re only as good as our neighbor,” Bovalino said. “If we can’t pull each other up, what good is it?”

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